What is a Cider House?

We've all heard of the movie "The Cider House Rules", so what exactly is a cider house? A cider house is an establishment that sells cider for consumption on premise. Traditionally a cider house was a room in the farm or family cottage, where local cider was both made and sold. Most cider house were found in small towns and rural settings, usually with an adjacent orchard.

Recently cider houses are opening in major cities across the country. Hard apple cider is currently the fastest growing segment of alcoholic beverage production in the US.

Trader Joe's

When I think of Trader Joe's,  I automatically think of fresh/organic foods.  Naturally I was curious about what apple cider products were available.

Here are my results from their website.

Cider Shots? Is that a thing?

I can't wait to try this recipe for spiced apple cider jello shots.  Follow this link for the complete recipe.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/spiced-apple-cider-jelly-shots/

What types of Apples are used for Cider

Cider production in the United States dropped in the early 1900's for a variety of reasons, mainly beer being easier to transport, the rise of cities, railroads and immigrants from "beer"drinking countries. With the decline of apple cider, the production of cider apples also declined. There are over 7,500 varieties of apples know to exsist. Traditionally used for  ciders include gravensteins, newtown pippins, rome beauties, winesap, cox pippin, crab and roxburry russet.

Types of Hard Cider

Researching hard cider has enlightened me to the existence of different types of cider. Here is a small list of some, but not all of them.

Ice Cider from Quebec which is cider made from the juice of frozen apples.
Perry which is fermented pear juice.
Calvados which is a type of brandy made from distilled cider, either apple or pear.
Pommeau which is made from mixing young Calvados and fresh apple juice.
Cidre bouche is corked hard cider.
Hopped cider is an American invention, where hops are added to finished cider.